This 2D fighter maybe gorgeous, but also strictly hardcore.
- Gorgeous graphics
- Unique 11 female fighters
- Multiple difficulties and options
Negative
- Excessively difficult for some
- No tag-team matches, only one-on-one fights
- Story isn't any good and no English voices
Arcana Heart is an arcade 2D fighter exclusively for the PS2 and the arcades. It's also one beautiful and tough 2d fighter which its look can deceive younger audience because of its great animations. Nonetheless Arcana Heart is a fun 2d fighter which feels too limited.
The story of the game is a total waste out. 11 heroines where chosen to determine the destiny of the world. Here you choose a fighter and fight against the other characters. Each fighter has her own reason to fit but you don't really understand well what's going on. The cutscenes are those usual classic Japanese lifeless scenes where you see a picture with dialogues. And here are exceptional since these aren't voiced. Not to mention short.
There are 11 playable characters which are all females. After choosing a character you have to choose an Arcana, a card to grant different power and skills to the character. In battle the skills are tough to pull since most of them are like as follows; down, left-down, left and press attack. The formidable AI rarely gives you any chance to perform a skill and at the default difficulty beginners can easily be discouraged. Maybe Examu figured this as a tough game so they give you various options. There are 9 available difficulties to choose from, although if you never played a 2d fighter before or not so good in them you will be having a hard time enjoying the game. You can also set the number of CPU rounds to victory and yours, for example you can make it 1 vs. 5 wins, meaning that if you win one, you would have won the match but the enemy has to win 5 rounds to win the battle. Like all arcade games, you will have a limited time to choose your fighter and Arcana.
I'm not a fan of 2d fighters, and as far as I can tell all these kind of fighters come in close quarter combat. Most of the character's attacks have to be done face-to-face with the enemy. You can activate your Arcana by pressing L1. Attacks can be done by pressing the usual buttons excluding the X button. Thankfully the combat is easy to grasp. One can only block using the opposite directional button in which the attack is coming. There isn't another button which blocks.
Here there is the lack of modes. The story mode doesn't really stand out well, there is the versus mode and an arcade mode, plus the training mode. Don't expect to see any tag-team fights and choosing more than one fighter because there is none.
The graphics are gorgeous, from the character designs to the background. The anime animations will most certainly attract the younger audience but it's surprising that this game is so difficult. Even I have played easier games in the genre, but Arcana Heart is the hardest I found so far. On the easier difficulty, the enemy can kill you of course but not merciless. If you're not a 2d fan or can't withstand some punishment, don't try this game since it feels more like a waste. You won't be unlocking a new character which is a serious drawback.
The total lack of English voiceovers is really disappointing. In cutscenes there aren't voices except for dialogues. The in battles voices are Japanese. The music is pretty but not catchy. The menu looks good but you'll see it so many time that you'll grow tired of it.
In the end Arcana Heart is a good 2d fighter from Japan. There are superior 2d fighters on the PS2, but anyway this is a game that is both visually beautiful and has entertaining gameplay. Its spiky difficulty can diminish the fun, but for anime fans and fighting fans this is an enjoyable game and for those who might be curious about what this game can offer, either give up on this or be ready for some frustration if you're not in this genre.
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Graphics = 8.4
Arcana Heart's character designs and backgrounds are some of the finest in any 2d fighter.
Sound = 7.3
Disappointing lack of English voiceovers, no voices in cutscenes and the voices in battles are Japanese. The music is pretty good though.
Presentation = 7.0
Good menu which over times becomes wary. Those popular (in a bad way) Japanese lifeless cutscenes don't help adding it with a badly explained story. The load times are ok.
Gameplay = 8.0
Only 11 fighters and 11 arcanas. Very challenging game even on the easiest difficulty. Most of the attacks require close-quarter combat and the skills are hard to pull. Though it works just fine.
Modes = 7.1
Story isn't well told, no tag-team fights, the arcade mode you should expect, training mode and vs. mode. Not so much to justify a $30 price. A 2d fighter fan should appreciate this game more than me.
OVERALL = 7.6 / 10
This 2D fighter is maybe gorgeous, but also strictly hardcore.